Our Only Safe Place

“God wants to give us his truth… but along with that He wants us to know His “rest” and “refreshing”
• God had taught them the way of rest through the prophets, but they had refused to learn…

• The only way to truly have rest is when you’re living in right relationship with God… it doesn’t mean life is easy, in fact sometimes is becomes harder…

• I’ve found momentary pleasure outside of God, but nothing truly, eternally lasting… all those other things just end in guilt and conviction… every other thing I’ve pursued outside of God has left me empty in the end…

Because God’s word was non-sense to them, they would have a bear the weight, and natural effects of not listening to God’s warnings…
• We serve a gracious and merciful God, but when we refuse to listen to Him, we put ourselves in a dangerous place…

• Yes, we serve a gracious, and merciful, and loving God, a God who is always pursuing us… but when we play with sin, we play with a dangerous thing…

V14-15 This “covenant with death” is essentially a deal with the devil…
{In the ancient world worshipers prayed to both demons and deities of death to spare them, or they wore amulets to protect them from death by warding off the divine beings. The God of death named Mot was thought to have a never-ending appetite for living beings and devouring all life… Mot was the bringer of death, and struggled with Baal, the bringer of life… Mot’s victories resulted in death and destruction on the earth… Baal’s vise versa…

Isaiah had confronted some of the leaders of Jerusalem who could see the coming destruction… these leaders believe by making a covenant with Mot they would be safe… but he could not, trusting in him would only lead to death… this would actually ensure their destruction…}

• Whether they were literally doing this or not… Judah had made an agreement with Egypt to rebel against Assyria, but God sees it as a rebellion against Him…

• God told them how to hand this situation, but they refused to listen… It was like an agreement with the world of the dead instead of with the living God.

• Finding a “refuge of lies, hiding place falsehood”… Ultimately they were not seeking safety in God, but in men… and the kingdoms of this world…

• God was the only reliable foundation for Judah’s hopes… If they truly trusted in him, they would not need to go running to Egypt for help… but this verse has a greater fulfillment… The cornerstone of our lives must be Jesus himself…

• Jesus is our only safe place… When you depend upon anything else but the person of Jesus and His desires, you will come up wanting, and the cover and safety you desire will be unfound in it…

• All else in this world, not matter how good, cannot become your cornerstone… they are all a bed too short, and a blanket too small…

• We can build the good things of life on Jesus as our cornerstone… only in lining those things up in Him do they have their proper place…

• In all times, but especially in times of chaos, find your rest and refreshing in Christ himself… find your covering and safety in Christ himself… nothing else can do it like him…

Jesus Christ is ultimately our only safe place, no “covenant with death” will or can take that place… make your cornerstone Jesus…”

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